Ella’s American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe
Ella’s American Kitchen’s Pecan Sticky Buns were legendary for their soft, buttery spirals drenched in rich caramel glaze and crowned with toasted pecans – gooey, golden proof that breakfast can be downright decadent.
Make this Straight-From-the-Restaurant Lost Favorite Ella’s American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe at home and your Pecan Sticky Buns will taste just like Ella’s American Kitchen.
Photo by Stacy
Ella’s American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns
A Local & Regional Favorite Master Breakfast Copycat Recipe
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Straight-From-the-Restaurant
Restaurants close. It is a sad fact of life. Sometime these are our favorites. And often our favorite meals are lost forever to us. But thanks to some of the chefs, owners and restaurants willingness to share their recipes, during their heydays or even after the final meals are served, we can still enjoy these wonder memories at home. We are proud that we can help the restaurants share these recipes with their fans.
Ella’s American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe is a Straight-From-the-Restaurant Recipe.
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Ella’s American Kitchen
Ella’s American Kitchen was a cherished San Francisco eatery that epitomized the essence of American comfort food. Established in 1990 by Danny Wilsner and Robert Merryman, Ella’s quickly became a staple in the Presidio Heights neighborhood, renowned for its scratch-made breakfasts and lunches.
The restaurant’s menu featured a variety of hearty dishes, including chilaquiles, Cobb salad, sticky buns, burgers, and French toast, all crafted with seasonal ingredients and a commitment to quality. Ella’s was more than just a place to eat; it was a community hub where regulars gathered, fostering a loyal customer base drawn to its warm hospitality and consistent fare.
Despite its popularity and significance in the local dining scene, Ella’s American Kitchen eventually closed its doors. While specific details about the closure are limited, the restaurant’s legacy endures through the fond memories of its patrons and its contribution to San Francisco’s culinary history.
Ella’s American Kitchen remains a symbol of the city’s rich gastronomic tapestry, remembered for its dedication to comfort food and the community it served.
Pecan Sticky Buns
Pecan Sticky Buns are gooey, golden spirals of yeasted dough layered with cinnamon sugar and baked atop a decadent mixture of butter, brown sugar, and pecans—essentially a warm hug from the oven. These indulgent pastries trace their roots to the Pennsylvania Dutch, whose Germanic ancestors brought over schnecken, a coiled sweet roll that eventually evolved into the sticky bun we know and devour today. The pecan twist came later, thanks to the nut’s abundance in the American South, making it a natural and popular addition to the topping.
The classic version begins like a cinnamon roll but takes a glorious detour with a caramel-like glaze made of brown sugar and butter poured into the pan before baking. As the rolls bake, this sticky base soaks upward, infusing each layer with sweetness. Once flipped out of the pan, the buns are crowned with buttery, candied pecans—tender, sticky, and irresistibly rich.
Pecan sticky buns rose to national fame in the 20th century thanks to bakeries and diners serving them as hearty breakfast fare. They’re a beloved item in both home kitchens and upscale brunch menus, celebrated in regional food festivals and Sunday brunch tables alike.
While you can find variations across the country, from brioche-based buns to those laced with bourbon or maple, the essentials remain the same: soft dough, warm spice, gooey topping, and those glorious pecans. It’s a recipe that’s stood the test of time—for good reason. One bite, and you’ll understand why they’re called sticky buns—you’ll be stuck on them for life.
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Ella's American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe
Ella’s American Kitchen’s Pecan Sticky Buns were legendary for their soft, buttery spirals drenched in rich caramel glaze and crowned with toasted pecans - gooey, golden proof that breakfast can be downright decadent. Make our Ella's American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Pecan Sticky Buns will taste just like Ella's American Kitchen.
Yield: 6 Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups Bread Flour
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1 scant tablespoon Active Dry Yeast 1 envelope
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 1/4 cups Warm Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
Syrup
- 12 ounces Brown Sugar
- 6 tablespoons 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup Water
- 3 tablespoons Light Molasses
Sticky Buns
- 1/4 cup 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Grated Orange Zest
- 1 cup Pecan Halves
Instructions
Dough
- Place bread flour, granulated sugar, active dry yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Add warm milk, egg and room-temperature butter.
- Mix on low speed for 7 minutes until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free spot. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, water and molasses.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until mixture reaches 242°F on a candy thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Sticky Buns
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brush a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with a little of the melted butter, coating bottom and sides well.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll risen dough into an 8 x 14-inch rectangle.
- Brush surface with remaining melted butter.
- Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Then sprinkle evenly over buttered dough along with grated orange zest.
- Pour 1/2 of the prepared syrup into the baking dish.
- Pour remaining syrup over the dough.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the pecans onto the dough and the other 1/2 into the pan.
- Starting from one long edge, roll the dough into a log and cut into 6 equal pieces.
- Arrange cut-side down in the prepared baking dish and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown and firm in the center.
- Remove from oven and immediately invert the baking dish onto a sheet pan. Let sit upside-down for 1 minute before removing the baking dish.
- Serve warm.
Ella's American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns
A Local & Regional Favorite Breakfast Copycat Recipe
To See ALL of Our Local & Regional Favorite Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Breakfast Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Master Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Sweet Copycat Recipes - Click HERE Ella's American Kitchen Pecan Sticky Buns Recipe is a Straight-From-the-Restaurant Recipe To See ALL of Our Straight-From-the-Restaurant Copycat Recipes - Click HERESPOTLIGHT RECIPES
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Photo of “caramel pecan sticky buns” is by Stacy and is used by permission under the Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.en. Thank you, Stacy. Great Picture. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe Courtesy of Ella’s American Kitchen. Recipe source – often, but not exclusively, the restaurant’s website, a magazine or newspaper article, a promotional video or a promotional book or handout – is presumed to be honest (this is the recipe used in the restaurant or a scaled down “home version” of a larger recipe) and accurate (no mistakes were made in the presentation). Recipe has been changed only to fit the style and format of this website – Ingredients and instructions are exactly the same as presented in the shared recipe. Additional Information is from original research done by SCRR and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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